18 Years Together

Yesterday, June 13, Jon and I celebrated 18 years together. We worshipped with our church family at San Clemente Presbyterian Church and then enjoyed watching 16 of the 3rd and 4th graders at our church participate in the first ever Bible Bee. The kids did so well that the teachers/judges ran out of questions with seven children still standing (Joshua was one of those). In the end all seven got some great prizes, including Joshua who earned a MP4 player. Very cool.

Then we were off to our nephew Evan's tenth birthday party in Escondido. We had arranged to leave Joshua there and miss the party ourselves so we could have our own anniversary celebration. We enjoyed a short visit to the Wild Animal Park and then a delicious dinner at the Macaroni Grill. We got back to Steve and Sandi's house in time for cake and ice cream before heading home. My brother-in-law Sonny took this amazing picture of us while we were there. I think his camera is magic and makes people look better than we do in person. :)

All in all, a great way to celebrate 18 years of marriage.

Sheryl

Grandpa Baker Goes Home

Jon's Grandpa Baker passed away last Thursday morning. Here is what his daughter Ruth Lauer wrote about his final hours.

Thursday (June 3), at 2:45 am, the telephone woke us [Ruth's husband is Jim] from a sound sleep. It was the rehab center saying that Dad was failing quickly and had asked that they call his children. My sister Donna [Jon's mom], who lives in Crossville, TN, was here [Nashville] with us so, by 3:15, the three of us were by his side. We had a precious six hours with Dad, listening to his favorite hymns on CD and expressing our love for him. At 9:03 am, he closed his eyes and peacefully took his last breath. During the 2 ½ weeks at the rehab center, Dad won the hearts of the staff with his sweet attitude and gratefulness for the tender loving care he received from them. Several mentioned to us that Dad had asked if they would be in heaven with him. After hearing that Dad had died, an aid told me that she just wanted to hide out somewhere and cry a little while. Since Dad’s condition required skilled nursing, we are so very thankful that he could spend his last days in such a beautiful & caring atmosphere, which was more like a home than a hospital.

The service will be held Wednesday evening in Nashville. The three of us were there in December to celebrate Grandpa Baker's 100th birthday, but Jon had the flue and spent most of the visit in bed in the hotel room. Joshua does not have school this coming Friday, due to teacher furlough days, and Jon had already planned to take that day off to be with him, so we decided that it probably wouldn't hurt Joshua to miss two days of school, here at the end of the year. Jon and Joshua will fly out early Wednesday morning for Nashville and will stay through Saturday with Jon's folks in Crossville, a couple hours east of Nashville. Should be a great father-son trip along with some quality time with family.

Sheryl

Memorial Day 2010

What a great day. We relaxed this morning and then headed to Seaport Village in San Diego for lunch and an afternoon of walking and enjoying the fabulous weather. Our restaurant was right next to the walkway that overlooks the harbor, so I could people-watch while Jon sail boat-watched. Joshua made origami with his cloth napkin.

Then we did some walking of our own and watched the many entertainers around the village. There were mimes, rock balancers, musicians, artists and even a sword swallower. We enjoyed some fun desserts -- frozen banana, carmel apple, candy -- and just enjoyed being together.

Then it was time to take Jon to "his" ship. In his 29 years of being a Marine he has never spent a night on a Naval ship until now. He spent last week on the USS Bonhomme Richard for a Marine/Naval Exercise and he has one more week to go.

It was so cool to get a personal tour of a Naval Ship. It is huge and we walked all over it. I couldn't get over the work-out from just going up and down all those stairs getting from one deck to the next. We checked out Jon's room, which he shares with three other Marine officers; the Ward Room, where the officers eat; the Gym, the Flight Deck, the Well Deck and the Cat Walk. I've posted a bunch of pictures and you'll have to figure out which ones are which. Enjoy!

Sheryl

Memorial Day Weekend 2010

Jon, Joshua and I are enjoying the Memorial Day Weekend in San Diego. Jon was on a ship for a military exercise all last week and has to re-board Monday night. So we all came south for the long weekend and are staying in a Navy Inn at USMC/Navy Base Miramar (former home of Top Gun).

Yesterday we started a game of Euro-rails -- a fun board game that takes many hours. Took a break around noon and explored the huge PX on base. Then it was off to my brother Steve's home to celebrate my niece Elena's 8th grade graduation. We had a great time, enjoying the food and good conversation. Since we had a short drive after the party, we stayed till after 9:30 pm. Woo Hoo! Aren't we the party animals. :)

Today we finished our game of Euro-rails. Thanks to a move by Joshua, who kept Jon from winning, I pulled off the win. After Jon finishes a nap, Joshua gets through more chapters in his book and I get my Facebook and blog posts updated, then I think we'll be off to the San Diego Zoo. Our annual passes expire tomorrow, so this is our last chance to get in for "free."

Tomorrow we'll head back to downtown and see some sights before taking Jon back to his ship for another week at sea.

Being on a military base and in a county that is so full of military members (active and retired) it is easy to remember who we are honoring this weekend. I am so grateful that Jon has survived nearly 10 years of activation by the Marine Corps. God has been very good to us.

Sheryl

Busy May 1st

Saturday, May 1st was a busy day for the Morans. Joshua and I were up early so we could get ready for the final mile of the Kids Run the Orange County Marathon. Joshua's age group ran at 9:40 am, but since our school has had a running club for the last 13 weeks and the kids have run 2 miles/week, we all met a the school at 7:30 am for bagels and fruit before carpooling to the Orange County Fairgrounds.

It was cray with hundreds of kids ranging in age from 6 to 13 years old and all of their parents and some teachers. The race was well organized and all the kids were able to get their goodie bags and T-shirts. I was going to run the race with Joshua and the other 10-year olds, but after racing around to get the 11-year olds to the starting track and then doing the same thing for the 9-year olds, I decided to stand on the side lines, take pictures and cheer.

Joshua seemed a bit stressed before it started, but I encouraged him to just do his best. He told me later that he was able to run the entire mile except for a "30 second interval." :) He was tired afterwards but proud of his accomplishment.

Jon was unable to watch the race because he is still dealing with the removal of a palm tree at our house in Orange, which we think is causing problems with the sewer drain. But Jon was able to break away and meet us at our next event.

The FSEA (Future Scientists and Engineers of America) Rocket Competition is an event I used to coordinate back when I worked for FSEA, but now they are part of the Discovery Science Center and so it has grown to something much bigger than I could have ever imagined. The Boeing Company is one of the main sponsors and they host the event on a field in front of one of their Huntington Beach facilities.

It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed seeing a few old friends so it didn't matter that neither of the parachutes on Jon's or Joshua's rockets opened, so they didn't have a shot at winning a prize. We enjoyed watching the hundred of other rockets launched into the blue sky on a perfect afternoon in Southern California.

Unfortunately, although I made sure Joshua was drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated, I managed not to do the same thing for myself. I ended up with a horrible headache by the time we got home and stomach cramps throughout the night. I went to bed at 7:00 pm and slept fitfully through the night but was feeling better by the time we left for church this morning. I feel fine now, but learned an important lesson -- drink lots of water when you are out in the sun. I did use plenty of sun screen, so hopefully no other sun damage was done.

Back to school and work tomorrow, but we all enjoyed a great weekend.

Sheryl

Seussical Jr.

Had a great time on Friday night at The Classical Academy's production of Seussical Jr. These young kids did a fabulous job -- very professional. We ordered our tickets late so ended up in the front row (A1, 2 and 3), but it was fun. I actually made eye-contact with my niece Emma during one of her songs, which kind of startled her. :) It was also great fun to see my cousin's daughter Emily in her first show. She was a great Thing 2.

It was also really fun to see so many family members at the evening show. My folks went for the Saturday matinee. Good fun.

Sheryl

Update on Dick Moran

Just got this message from Donna regarding my father-in-law. Thank you for your prayers.

Dick just called to say that he is being released from the hospital today. The blood thinner is headed in the right direction, and he can do the rest of the waiting at home, with another check on his blood on Monday at the lab.

The prayer request now is for the clots in his lungs to dissolve so that he can be more active without shortness of breath. He has a large clot in his right lung and a smaller one in his left lung. He thinks his leg is a little less swollen today. The clots in his leg may take many weeks to dissolve.

Things have been crazy in our school district this week with the teachers striking this past Thursday and Friday. I'd appreciate prayers that the Board of Trustees and the Union would continue to talk and come to consensus this weekend (they meet again at 1:00 pm today) so the strike won't continue on Monday.

All for now,

Sheryl

Please pray for my father-in-law

I received the following message from Donna Moran, Jon's mom yesterday. Please be in prayer for Dick and Donna during this time. Thank you so much.

A week ago today (Wed) Dick went to the doctor because he was experiencing shortness of breath whenever he walked outside. A friend suggested the high pollen count may have been the trigger, and, since his blood pressure was higher than usual, the doctor gave him an additional prescription, ordered a chest X-ray and echo cardiogram, with a follow-up in two weeks. He swam a mile on Saturday (not a hard work-out mile, but a steady swim), and it went well, but later he said he must have pulled a muscle while swimming because he had an ache in his leg. He also had considerably more swelling in his left leg that in his right leg.

Monday (the day of my cataract surgery) the pain and swelling had increased, and by Tuesday his whole left leg ached, was very swollen and stiff. The doctor said he should go to emergency, which we did just before noon. This is the same leg in which he has had cellulitis more than once, but there was no indication it was that again. A sonogram revealed a sizable blockage in that leg, and DVT, deep vein thrombosis, was diagnosed. They started heparin (intravenous blood thinner), and said he would probably be in the hospital for four or five days while establishing a regimen of coumadin.

Further tests have indicated that one or more clots have reached his lung, and he's being sent to the heart cath lab, where they are installing a filter at the lung that will screen out any clot that might approach. They're continuing to explore any other possibilities, especially since he is not a typical DVT patient. He's feeling pretty good and is as mobile as one can be with two IV's. I took his C-pap machine to him, but he's missing the opportunity to sleep on his stomach, which is natural for him.

Your prayers are much appreciated.

Injuries

Joshua had his third injury at school yesterday, but since I never told you about the other ones, I'll report on them first.

On March 10 Joshua came home with the beginnings of a black eye. He had collided with his best friend on the soccer field during recess and his friend's head had impacted him just above his left eye. The next morning he woke up with a bad headache and convinced me that he needed to stay home from school. Within a couple hours he was fine and I was not too pleased about missing work and keeping him home. Oh, well.

The following Monday, March 15, Joshua came home with a swollen pinkie finger on his right hand. He had been playing football during recess and when he was trying to tag a friend, his finger was kicked and the finger was now bluish and swollen. Since he has had jammed fingers before, we iced it and I sent him to school the next day. When he arrived home on Tuesday, his finger was the same size and still causing him a lot of pain, so I called the doctor and we were able to get in that afternoon. Sure enough, Joshua broke a tiny bony in his finger. Fortunately it was not a bad break so the doctor said we just needed to tape it to his ring finger for a month till the bone had time to heal. So that is what we have done for a month.

Yesterday, April 16, I got a call at work from the school at 11:00 am letting me know that Joshua had fallen during recess (soccer again) and his left knee was really bothering him. After speaking with him, I decided that I should probably come get him, which is what the school nurse wanted me to do. Sure enough he was in a lot of pain and could not put weight on his left leg. The nurse wheeled him to the car in a wheel-chair and then I took him to work with me. Things are pretty slow at the church office on Fridays, so I knew it would not be a problem. He spent most of the time reading his Percy Jackson book while icing his knee. I also found a wheel chair so he could some mobility around the office. After a few hours his knee was still too painful to put weight on so I called the doctor and we got a 4:30 appointment. The knee was x-rayed and there was no sign of anything broken. The doctor tested the knee and didn't think there was too much soft tissue damage, so put him in a knee brace and ordered rest, no running and icing for 48 hours. The brace made it much easier for Joshua to limp-walk instead of hopping. We iced for 20 minutes every hour all evening and Joshua slept in the brace. This morning he said his knee feels much better and can walk slowly without the brace on.

I am hoping that we have moved down the body enough so there will be no more injuries -- head, finger, knee -- of course there are still ankles, toes. :) But I am glad that he can get good exercise at school during recess, so I'm not complaining too much.

Of course it changed our plans for today. I was going to get the day to myself since Jon had to go to our house in Orange to deal with the ongoing plumbing problems. He is removing a small palm tree that we think might be the source of the roots messing up the sewer lines. Joshua was excited about going up and helping Jon, but now he is home with me. Sigh! Oh, well, such is life.

Now you are all up to date with our son's injury adventures. At least none of them have been that big.

Sheryl

Cathcing up

Wow! I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted to this blog. I will blame it on Facebook. Yep, I have become hooked and post to my FB page every other week or so. I realize that those of you who read this blog don't "do" FB, so I'm sorry about that.

Jon is still working for the Marine Expeditionary Force but is not on active duty orders yet. It is a technicality but one that kept him from being able to take time off this past week while Joshua was on Spring Break. I took the week off from work to stay home with Joshua and we enjoyed ourselves, but it was a little different being home for a vacation, but you can't beat Southern California for a vacation spot.

Today we ended the week by visiting the Wild Animal Park and then stopped at Steve & Sandi's for dinner and some great conversation. Joshua had been missing his cousin Evan, so they had a few hours to play Legos and build a pillow fort in the living room.

Tomorrow it is back to work for me and back to school for Joshua. I'll try to remember to write more, but feel free to "friend me" on FB if you set up an account.

Sheryl

A Job for Jon

Praise the Lord with us that Jon has a full-time job with the USMC at Camp Pendleton for sure this month (January). He is in the process of getting orders for the 18 months that the MEF (Marine Expeditionary Force) want him in the RBE (Remain Behind Element). It could take a couple months for the orders to come through, but he can use Reserve time for February and March, so it looks like we have full-time income from now until July 2011. That is a big answer to our 6 months of praying. Thank you for being part of our prayer team. Please continue to pray that all the details come together and the Marine Corps doesn't change their plans as they relate to Jon's employment. Thanks.

Sheryl

Made it to Nashville

We arrived safely in Nashville last night after a near touch-and-go in our Airbus as we came into Nashville International Airport. The pilot reported that a plane had not cleared the runway and so we needed to make another go around.

Please pray for Jon. He came down with a bug Sunday night and did not feel well through out our day of travel and had a bad night last night. He's up now (noon) taking a shower and hoping he'll be able to make it to dinner tonight to celebrate Grandpa Baker's 100th birthday. Joshua and I are still feeling fine, although freezing.

We walked across the street to Target this morning and couldn't believe how cold it is outside. But is beautiful -- clear, blue sky -- just cold.

Happy New Year everyone.

Sheryl

Christmas Eve 2009

We had a wonderful, worshipful time at the 5:30 pm Christmas Eve service at our church tonight. Then it was home to chicken noodle soup provided by our good friend Kris. We followed that with a showing of "White Christmas." We were all together cuddled up in the living room. I finally got Joshua to sleep at 11:00, filled the stockings and uploaded the pictures from this evening. :)

Merry Christmas. We are off to Sandy and Sonny's in the morning. We should be reachable on my cell phone, assuming I hear it ring. :)

Sheryl

Happy 10th Birthday to Joshua

We celebrated Joshua's birthday in style at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor with 10 other members of my family. We had a great time and stuffed ourselves. I can't believe my baby has reached double digits. We head to Nashville next week to celebrate Jon's Grandpa Baker's 100th birthday!

Sheryl

Our church builds a home in Mexico

Last weekend Jon spent two days in the rain building a house for a family on the outskirts of Tijuana, Mexico. He was there with a team of 23 from our church. One man took hundreds of pictures, another made a slide show with music and now it is on YouTube, so check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxyb7_05uEY

Joshua's Soccer Season Ends

Yesterday Joshua's soccer team had a win and a rough loss to one of the stronger teams in their group. Today their team played the weakest team in the group and won 4 - 0, but unfortunately it was not enough for them to make it to the top two in our group, so the season ended at about noon today. The kids all played a great game today and Joshua was a forward for a quarter and a half and had some great shots on goal. Unfortunately he did not score, but he did save a goal from going in when he was playing defense, so I think he is starting to realize how important good defenders are. He is one of the best defenders on the team and so has not had a lot of opportunities to score this year. I was very proud of him and it has been a fun season to watch the boys as they have improved in their skills.

Jon had a useful first day of the job fair and will have two interview tomorrow with potential employers. We don't know when yet, so if you could pray for him throughout the day, that would be great. Thanks.

Sheryl

Jon's Job Search

The Census Bureau job turned out to be a project that involves 3 days of work (1 day of training and 2 days of testing the Census Bureau computer system). Today is his 3rd and last day of work with them. He was told that they have other short project that he may be called for, but it is definitely not a 20 hour/week job, like I originally thought. But every little bit helps, so we are thankful.

For those of you in the immediate family, you have probably seen the information below, but for anyone else trying to keep up with our family, here is the latest on an interview Jon had on Tuesday for a job with US NORTH COM that will start in April and will be in San Diego. Here is Jon's report.


"The interview went well. There are four different parts to landing this job: one, the guy I'm replacing has to recommend me; two, my current commander (Reserve unit) has to agree to putting me on orders (he loses me for the duration--so I can no longer contribute to his unit as a subordinate leader--but having a Marine on Active duty is a positive for the Corps and reflects well on the unit); three, I have to pass an "administrative" screening "phone interview" to determine my qualifications and skill levels as they relate to the job at hand; four, the 2-star general who will be my boss will need to confirm the appointment following a short introduction.

As of today, we have just passed step one, and the current billet-holder will make a positive recommendation to his chain of command that I be selected for the billet (I do not believe there are any other contenders at this stage). Steps two through four will start taking place after 01 January, concluding with me potentially coming on orders during the month of March (during which time contenders may emerge, they will be considered based on merit, etc., possibly snagging the billet instead of me if they come out smelling better than me following the four step process above).

I'll keep you informed regarding how the process goes, please keep praying (as there is still much that needs to happen if I'm to get this job). Our prayer is not to land this job, necessarily, but that I will end up spending my time and effort in a place and in a way that most aligns with what God wills to accomplish through me for His Kingdom. We're currently NOT convinced that relocation would be best for our family right now, which is why we're pursuing local options--but we know relocation will quickly become necessary should doors close on local options."

Jon will be participating in a Specialized Job Fair this weekend in San Diego. He has already been told which companies will be there and what the positions are that they are looking to fill, so Jon will go prepared to interview for the specific jobs that fit his interest and ability.

Thanks for keep us in your prayers.

Oh, I should report that Joshua's soccer team will go to the AYSO Regional Championship Tournament this weekend. They have three games scheduled and depending on how well they do, they may have a 4th game. It will be a busy weekend, but lots of fun.

Sheryl

Thanksgiving 2009

It was great to have Jon home for Thanksgiving this year. He shared a bit at our church's Thanksgiving Eve service last night. Half of my family joined us in our home today. We ate a fabulous meal provided by everyone and then headed out to do some geocaching. We were 5 for 6 along a bike trail in Laguna Niguel on a beautiful November day in California. It was about 80 degrees today, blue sky, light breeze -- fabulous.

I forgot to post a message last weekend congratulating Joshua and his soccer team on winning the Boys U10 championship for our region. They ended the season 6-1-3 and will play in the regional play-off next weekend. Congratulations, Assassins!!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Sheryl

Marine Corps Ball

Last weekend Jon and I were able to enjoy the Marine Corps Birthday Ball on a cruise boat in the San Diego Harbor. I had to rush south after Joshua's soccer game on Saturday to drop him off at my brother's house (Thanks, Steve & Sandi) for an overnight. Joshua had a great time with his cousin Evan. I made a quick change into my "fancy" clothes and then headed to the San Diego harbor to meet Jon, who was already down there for his reserve drill time.

Jon's unit had the entire lower deck of the boat for dinner, dancing and the program. I don't know anyone in his reserve unit, but it was fun to dress up and have a date with Jon. The program was appropriately formal and not too long, the food was delicious and the view through the windows and up on the top deck was beautiful. What was interesting to me is that the "ugly" side of the harbor where the Navy shipyards are was the most beautiful at night because of the lights everywhere, while the more beautiful Coronado Island was mostly dark, so not as interesting to view.

We spent the night at the BOQ (Bachelor's Officer's Quarters) on a Navy base in San Diego. In the morning we enjoyed some Starbucks, thanks to gift certificates from friends, and then took a leisurely stroll around the San Diego zoo, thanks to our memberships. Then it was off to pick up Joshua and head for home. It was a wonderful weekend celebration.

This week we had a little excitement when the Census Bureau called Jon and offered him a 20 hour/week job making $12.50 per hour. Now, in Southern California, that will not pay the bills for our family, so it was kind of good news/bad news. We are hoping this part-time work will allow Jon to pick up something a little higher paying or allow for future government jobs. In the near future, it messed up our plans for next week. Joshua's school district gives the kids the entire week of Thanksgiving off for the holiday, so I quickly e-mailed our friends and was blessed by e-mails from four friends willing to help. Joshua will end up spending Monday overnight through Tuesday at his good friend Maxi's house (Thanks, Karine and Klaus) and then Wednesday he'll get to go the Discovery Science Museum with his good friend Charlie (Thanks, Wyndi and Sergio). What a blessing to be a part of a community that cares for each other in such tangible ways.

Jon does have a few other full-time job possibilities that he is pursuing but it will take another couple months before those jobs are available. Thanks for your continued prayers.

Sheryl

Veteran's Day

This weekend our mobile home park celebrated Veteran's Day with a chili cook-off. Jon, Joshua and I attended. It was the first community dinner we ever attended and we were the youngest in attendance by almost 20 years. :) Joshua was the only child, but did a great job. After dinner there was a game of war trivia and Joshua ran around the hall delivering the prizes (leftover Halloween candy), which many of the folks gave to him. It was a fun time and we met some nice folks in our park.

Sunday Jon wore his dress blues to church since he will be in San Diego next weekend for the Marine Corps Birthday Ball and will have to miss church. After the services we went to Costco for our traditional $1.50 hot dog and soda lunch followed by free samples throughout the store. He was a bit overdressed, to say the least, but received many, many words of thanks from strangers who wanted to thank him (and me) for his service. It was quite sweet.

That's all the news for now.

Sheryl